GESTALT PAVILION The Gestalt Pavilion exists only through the assembly of dozens of unique parts to define a solid and a void. Externally, the pavilion is perceived as a simple rectangular box, sheathed in a smoky acrylic that hides its interior and distorts the view of its structure. On each side, a single cut begins to puncture the solid box, until a volume has been completely dissected from the mass. Internally, the void is defined through the oscillation of the structural aluminum ribs. Confined to the envelope of the box and sliced away by the removed volume, these ribs delineate the interior space – clearly enclosed, but abstractly constructed. The pavilion plays with the idea of human sensation of materiality, space, and light, and the underlying relationship between phenomenology and gestalt perception.
COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH RYAN RAMIREZ AT USC SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE WORK INCLUDED CONCEPT DESIGN, RENDERING, ORTHOGRAPHICS, ISOMETRICS, AND DIAGRAMS
The smoked acrylic alludes to the box and abstracts the structure
The construction of the form, carved from a solid box
The structural ribs define the space and allow for minimal impact on the site
A single cut out of each face of the box
A constantly changing section created by structural ribs and a bounding box
The structural ribs create the space and an oculus above
A NEW INSTITUTION In order to represent the new institution to be created on the site at El Paso-Juรกrez, a prototype of the industrial/academic program must be formed. This new institution stands as a physical manifestation of the social engagement that is desired on both sides of the border. Two large walls, which separate two sides of the programs, are also that which connects: they form the social condenser pathway and hold the interstitial, informal gathering spaces for the converging academic and industrial programs. Other new programs are also introduced - a practical theater, training spaces, and the informal gathering spaces - which reconnect the users across all program types and begin to deteriorate the social barriers across socio-economic classes. The form is neither cultural nor stagnant, but instead is reminiscent of the surrounding desert landscape, and the shared region of El Paso-Juรกrez.
CAPSTONE PROJECT COMPLETED AT USC SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE WORK INCLUDED CONCEPT DESIGN, RENDERING, ORTHOGRAPHICS, DIAGRAMS, AND MODELS
The design process led to a solution of interconnection and a rethinking of traditional academic and industrial facilities
PROPOSED PROGRAM RELATIONSHIPS
Program types had to be redefined, and new programs introduced, to create the desired interaction among users
STATUS QUO PROGRAM RELATIONSHIPS
Construction diagram
A social condenser, a pathway to connect the people of the new community
SOUTH ELEVATION | The building reflects the shared environment of the sister cities
SECTION A | The academic programs connecting the industrial spaces
The social condenser that connects the programs and the academic community
THE LONG LINE Projecting from the western end of University Avenue into San Francisco Bay, the Berkeley Pier developed from cultural infrastructure, as a freight transshipment point and auto ferry terminal, into ecological infrastructure as a fishing pier and ocean-life habitat. The Long Line continues that evolution, creating an environment for all Bay Area inhabitants – man, animal, plant – to both study and exhibit the Bay’s unnatural ecology. Fishing decks, water access, and public space combine with research spaces, a seed & egg library, and a permeable floor plane exhibiting the sea life below. Structural frames that span the 3000 linear feet of the existing pier and create this new architecture become the surfaces for fish to lay eggs, grasses to grow, barnacles and mussels to attach, birds to perch, and creatures to nest. As the tide ebbs and flows, users are able to see all aspects of the Bay interact with the structure. Slowly the sea level will rise over the next century or more and the Long Line, submerged beneath the water, will blossom with the life of a new ecology.
MASTERS THESIS COMPLETED AT UC BERKELEY COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN WORK INCLUDED CONCEPT DESIGN, RENDERING, ORTHOGRAPHICS, PERSPECTIVE DETAILING, DIAGRAMS, MODELS, DIGITAL FABRICATION, AND LASER-CUT ORTHOGRAPHICS
The Long Line is connected to the Bay physically through its connection to the water, and visually through the views that reach to all points of the Bay and define the architecture.
People were able to observe the changing ecology of the architecture and ocean life. Meanwhile, researchers at the Center for Unnatural Ecology used the Long Line as a specimen to understand the evolving environment.
The textures of the concrete frames create new surfaces for life
A new relationship between human, water, and architecture is created by the Long Line.
The construction of the Long Line, setting above the old pier column datum, showing the relationship of space, material, and water.
SHADOW HOUSE A mid-century modern home fallen into disrepair, the Shadow House is a reimagining of the iconic Haver Home. Implementing effective use of the existing construction was key to the budget, including repurposing old materials that were improperly used in prior development. The new design opens the home to the back yard via a 16" glu-lam beam to create a new cantilevered patio. Kaffer Studio was contracted for concept design through construction administration. The following images are sheets from the final construction documents of the Shadow House, and all rights are reserved by Kaffer Studio.
PROJECT COMPLETED WHILE AT KAFFER STUDIO WORK INCLUDED SCHEMATIC DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS (INCLUDING STRUCTURAL DETAILING), AND CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
IN PROGRESS
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